Retail sales increased 0.2% in February, less than expected; ex-autos up 0.3%, meeting estimate

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNBC

Published Mon, Mar 17 2025 8:32 AM EDT Updated 5 Min Ago


Consumers spent at a slower than expected pace in February, though underlying readings indicated that sales still grew at a solid pace despite worries over an economic slowdown and rising inflation.

Retail sales increased 0.2% on the month, better than the downwardly revised decline of 1.2% the prior month but below the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.6% increase, according to the advanced reading Monday from the Commerce Department. Excluding autos, the increase was 0.3%, in line with expectations.

The sales number is adjusted for seasonal factors but not for inflation. Prices rose 0.2% on the month, according to a previous Labor Department report, indicating that spending was about on pace with inflation.

The so-called control group, which strips out non-core sectors and feeds directly into gross domestic product calculations, rose a better than expected 1%.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/17/retail-sales-increased-0point2percent-in-february-less-than-expected.html

---

From the source - https://www.census.gov/retail/sales.html

Article updated.

Previous article -

Published Mon, Mar 17 2025 8:32 AM EDT Updated 1 Min Ago


Consumers spent at a slower than expected pace in February, though underlying readings indicated that sales still grew at a solid pace despite worries over an economic slowdown and rising inflation.

Retail sales increased 0.2% on the month, better than the downwardly revised decline of 1.2% the prior month but below the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.6% increase, according to the advanced reading Monday from the Commerce Department. Excluding autos, the increase was 0.3%, in line with expectations.

The so-called control group, which strips out non-core sectors and feeds directly into gross domestic product calculations, rose a better than expected 1%.

This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

Original article/headline -

Retail sales increased 0.2% in February, less than expected

Published Mon, Mar 17 2025 8:32 AM EDT


Retail sales were expected to show a 0.6% increase in February, according to the Dow Jones consensus estimate.

This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

[IronLionZion]

1. GOP wants the Trump recession to happen early enough

so they can blame Biden for it.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Well I had hoped the long overdue market correction wouldn't happen under Biden

and it didn't. And Bessent is already pooh-poohing the ongoing correction as expected (but would have pounded Biden for such if it had happened last year).

[Bengus81]

3. Not going to work. Way,way to much light on Trump and Musk and this shit show.

[IronLionZion]

4. We sure hope so, but half of America voted for this BS

and they don't like to admit when they're wrong.

[Harker]

6. Don't like to and won't. n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. "don't like to admit" ... until there arrives a bit of a surge of admissions. Then it becomes a flood and maga turns

When a trickle of admissions gets a bit of surge at some point, then a bandwagon effect takes hold. Nobody knows where or when the tipping point will be, but the magnitude of the incompetency of the Muck-tRump presidency will become undeniable.

It will become a flood as maga turns on tRump. For a while there will be one-third of populace that comprise a soft core that will be late to turn, but tRump will end up with only about 15-20% hard core supporting him (inner half of the soft core).

People and markets are uncertain now, but not fully aware of the dimensions of the impending economic problems they will face. The market press is full of articles touting this stock or that sector as a buying opportunity. Analysts have been lowering some targets, raising some.

RBC (Royal Bank Canada) is the third major fund manager recently to lower their expectations for S&P 500 for the end of the year. Down to 6200 from earlier target of 6600. Even then in my opinion they aren't dialing in much economic damage yet. The majority of fund managers are even more optimistic, I think. There is a bit of a blind spot about downturns and that is the elephant in the room that is not much discussed.

Conditions have changed. This will not be a normal tourist season, nor the next year. This is not normal. The auto industry is disrupted, non-beneficially. The oil industry loves drill-baby but many refineries are geared to Canadian heavy crude, which is taxed by USA at 10% tariff.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Yes, but I don't think it is working & won't work. Public can only be fooled some of the time. Election is over. . . nt

[progree]

8. Let me get this straight: retail sales January: -1.7%, February: 0.0% on an inflation-adjusted basis

  Jan   Feb
  0.5% 0.2% Inflation (CPI)
-1.2% 0.2% Nominal dollar retail sales increase
-1.7% 0.0% Inflation-adjusted retail sales increase

S&P 500 up 0.33% at the moment, 9:03 AM CT

S&P 500 latest closing level perma-thread compared to previous day, election day, inauguration day, all-time-high, and end of 2024
https://www.democraticunderground.com/111699775

[wolfie001]

9. At this point, is any economy info from Howard Lutnick going to be something we trust?

[SunSeeker]

10. "The sales number is adjusted for seasonal factors but not for inflation. Prices rose 0.2% on the month..."

So if sales rose .2%, isn't that all attributable to prices rising?

[progree]

11. Yes, it is. And January was minus 1.2% in nominal dollars and minus 1.7% after accounting for inflation

Prices rose 0.2% on the month..." So if sales rose .2%, isn't that all attributable to prices rising?